I've been reading a wonderful novel entitlted The Sacrifice by Robert Whitlow. It contains many truths and the spiritual lessons cause me to think beyond the story line.
One of those lessons is this:
"The difficult people and circumstances in life are often the tools God uses to bring forth the enduring beauty of Christian character. If we want to be transformed, we have to be changed. One of the ways God uses is the challenge of difficult relationships."
In an earlier paragraph is this:
"God wasn't using angels to do the work of changing me; he was relying upon my enemies."
I've been extracting these spiritual truths and applying them to my own life in very practical ways. For instance this particular lesson speaks to me in the area of FOOD. Yes, FOOD can be my enemy! And I have a history of a difficult relationship with it. I've been asking God for several years why I must endure the extreme fluctuation of my weight. Whether I've been on a "program" or not, my weight has never remained the same from season to season without a huge struggle. And I will acept the blame for poor eating habits as well as lack of discipline. It's a vicious cycle: gain, go on a program, lose, feel better, lose disciplined habits, eat, gain, go on a program, lose, feel better... well, you get the idea.
Somehow God got my attention a few weeks ago. And His persistence in bringing Proverbs 31 Ministries to my ears as I listened to the radio finally resulted in my purchasing Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. At first I thought, "What's the use? I've done virtually EVERY weight loss program known to man or woman in the 21st century! Why try THIS?" But once I began reading, I realized that THIS one is truly different. THIS one is based on God's promises, His love, His will, His discipline, His desire for me come into line with His will! Without HIM, this book would be just another book.
So food can be an enemy. I'll give you that. Even though food is necessary for the sustaining of life, it had become my God. I love to eat - I repeat: I LOVE TO EAT. Oh, I loved the Lord Jesus Christ. And I followed much of His teaching. But in the area of food, I held out because I could not imagine it was really a sin to enjoy the bounty around me. Then a funny thing happened. Through prayer, searching out scripture that extoled God's many virtues including faithfulness, I decided I would give this a "go". So I'm still putting down my fork. And I'm craving food less. When offered food selections that in the past would have put me over the moon in delight, I am saying "No, thank you. I'll pass today." Refusing a tasty treat now does not mean I won't ever enjoy it again. It just means I'm choosing to eat healthier today.
Every morning I'm excited and a little nervous to once again get weighed! But the only disappointing scale-moments have followed instances where I knew I had fallen off the wagon. If I am faithful - truly faithful - to put down my fork, to experience hunger pangs and to pray when I'm unsure if I really need food, God is rewarding my efforts. What a gift God has given me and many many other women! Lysa TerKeurst hit the nail right on the head with her wonderful volume!
My weight continues to drop, little by little. And food is no longer Public Enemy #1. The healthier choices and smaller portions are seeing me through. God is in this program. And I am feeling closer to Him than ever before.
Keep chiseling away, Lord! There's a thin person clamoring to get outta this hunk of marble!
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